Honda to recall 405,000 vehicles over airbag system glitch

A man stands in front of a logo of Honda Motor at the company showroom in Tokyo January 31, 2013. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co <7267.T> said it is recalling about 405,400 vehicles including the Odyssey minivan in the United States and three other countries due to a glitch in the computer chip used in the airbag system.

Honda is recalling about 342,000 Odysseys from the 2003 and 2004 model years in the United States and Canada, as well as 63,400 Acura MDXs from 2003 model year in the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia.

A computer chip in the airbag control unit could malfunction when it receives electrical noise from other parts in the car, Honda said in a statement. As a result, driver and passenger seat airbags could deploy inadvertently, spokesman Tsuyoshi Hojo said.

No crashes have been reported related to this glitch, but several cases of injuries such as abrasions on the hand and fingers have been reported, he said.

Honda is installing an electrical signal filter in the recalled vehicles, which will take about an hour, Hojo said.